Evidence suggests that instruction in thinking skills is neither widespread nor successful. Most students do not score well on tests that measure their ability to recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, or appraise inferences. However, a number of educators believe that it is possible to teach thinking skills, and have suggested that the teaching of thinking skills may take two forms: the pervasive approach or the subject approach. Those who advocate the pervasive model contend that thinking skills should be taught in all subject areas, and that content and intellectual processes are mutually reinforcing. Others believe that thinking is best taught as a distinct subject, and have adopted such approaches as Edward de Bono's CoRT Thinking Program to develop such a subject area. Although teaching thinking as a discrete subject may remove it from daily, widespread exposure, de Bono argues that thinking will not receive enough focused attention, and generalizable, transferable skills will not be acquired if it is taught across the curriculum. Other researchers of thinking skills emphasize questioning techniques, such as varying levels of questions, waiting for student responses, asking how students arrived at their answer, and stressing comprehension. All agree that such skills are attainable if there is collective, institution-wide commitment to do so. (Four pages of notes are included.) (JC)